Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Friday, May 17, 2013

"I was pleased, and even relieved, that the court found this man guilty of these very heinous crimes. What I find difficult to understand is how some people who are horrified by these crimes somehow think that if he would have killed these babies a few minutes earlier, it would have been all right." ~~Seán Cardinal O'Malley on the Gosnell trial.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Sad is the time
When the age of innocence is past
And the eyes of the child
Who looked upon the birdand the flower
with wonder and pleasure
And who put a tiny finger into the water
to watch a ripple
form and fade,
And the tiny hands
Feeling of the richness of the dewy grass,
And finding comfort
In arms that cradle her,
Until two tiny lids
As soft as petals of a rose
close over them,
And she sleeps the sleep of Angels
And awakens to new wonders
to explore
and feel
and pleasure,
Listening for sounds
Of love and softness...

She does not know
What pleasure she gives
To those who love her.

Sad is the time
When the age of innocence is past,
And the eyes of the child
Become the eyes
of a girl-woman.
Still trying to see the world
bathed in the cloak
of happiness.

Trying to blink away
the sounds of reality
as if they were not there.

Trying to understand
the new emotions
within her
and yearning still
For the love and comfort
and softness of her innocence,

And trying to conceal
her heart
from disappointments and fear
With too much talk
too much laughter
too few tears.

And she looks tenderly
Upon those who sleep
the sleep of Angels
and are cradled
in the arms of love.

Sad is the time
When the age of innocence is past!

But, from the experience
of sadness
Comes the experience of joy
In finding that God
has Blessed her,

With the capacity to love
and be loved.

In finding that life
holds many challenges
And the rewards
are gratifying.

In finding that all the fears
And frustrations of youth,
Are but a stepping stone
To a more mature
Understanding of human nature,

And in finding
That the beauty
of God's creation
can be felt
with her heart
as well as
with her hands.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Celebrate with me! Today is the anniversary of my Baptism according to the rite of the Roman Catholic Church, by Reverend Joseph Zalibert at Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, Detroit, Michigan (the church moved to Sterling Heights, Michigan, in 1971.) I thank my parents, Leo James Kelly and Marie Victoria Ulanowicz Kelly for giving me birth, my godparents, Vincent DuRocher and Angeline Ulanowicz DuRocher, and most of all, my God Who claimed me for His own.

And I joyfully renew the vows made by my parents and godparents on my behalf!

I reject Satan, and all his works, and all his empty promises.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.

Amen!

"Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 28-19

Monday, May 06, 2013

"You are called on to testify your faith with joy and with the kindness of your expression...This is important for all the people who pass through Vatican City, but also for those who work in the Holy See and for me too!"

Pope Francis

This ceremony is held every year on the anniversary of the heroic resistance of the Swiss Guard in defense of Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) when the protestant troops of Charles V sacked Rome on May 6, 1527.

What happened on May 6, 1527?

I heard a homily by Father Jim Doran, OMV, about it at Mass today. Following up on a google search? I found precious little. I mean, I learned that most of the Guard were slaughtered by the troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (please read the words "Holy" and "Roman" judiciously.)

They came into Rome and they killed people—not just the brave guards, but lay folk, nuns, priests. Thousands of people. Perhaps as many as 12,000 people. Why? For the crime of being Catholic.